This dissertation examines state-society relationships in Turkey through the lens of efforts to promote sustainable development at the local level. To this end, it first lays out a theoretical framework to analyze the political economy of local sustainable development, for which purpose the Gramscian state theory and its applications to the political economy of the environment are deployed. The dissertation thus situates the local social-economic-environmental processes within the making of state hegemony and the uneven impacts of state behavior on the society. The dissertation employs two case studies, each based on extensive qualitative study and quantitative data from the administration of representative surveys to operationalize this framework. At both case study sites, Sultan Sazligˇi and Köprülü Kanyon, the Turkish state made explicit efforts to implement sustainable development through projects funded by the Global Environmental Facility, but failed to do so. In analyzing the reasons for failure, the dissertation documents how the Turkish state’s hegemonic practices, interacting with local power inequalities, undercut the implementation of sustainable development. It further reveals how inequalities are perpetuated by the failure of sustainable development and how they, in turn, prove to be impediments on sustainable development implementation at the local level. The dissertation also provides a critical lens through which community-based schemes, including co-governance and participatory management, can be examined. It highlights, in particular, the role of local inequalities and anticipations shaped by the state by conducting an econometric study. It demonstrates the different channels through which exclusion from decision-making operates, impeding the democratic functioning of these institutions and undermining efforts to promote sustainable development.

<p> Designers and builders focused on green innovations often struggle to know well the costs and benefits of their proposed projects. As such, some are reluctant to innovate beyond the well known, as even modest projects are costly in nearly all respects. This project is designed to provide data to promote actionable recommendations and strategic decision criteria for commercializing a model for exterior wall assemblies constructed with straw bales and earthen plasters. The wall assemblies are specific for houses built in hot arid climates using vernacular architecture and site-available earthen soils that take into account resiliency, environmental and social accountability, and affordability. These data derive from secondary research, four case studies, and two experimental build projects. A Full Costs Accounting (FCA) framework and Benefit Costs Analysis (BCA) assess costs, impacts, and benefits for the two experimental build projects that used the same amount of building material as measured in cubic feet (&plusmn; 3%) but were constructed from different materials and design strategies for exterior wall assemblies. Results from the builds&rsquo; FCA indicate that imported materials needed for a conventional wood framed wall assembly used 204% more fuels in the production process (cradle-to-factory gate) and 733% more diesel fuels in the transportation process (factory gate-to-retail store) than a vernacular build&rsquo;s wall assembly. Upfront labor costs were increased by 287% when using site-available soils for earthen plasters instead of imported lumber for a conventional wall assembly. Benefits (BCA) for the straw bale and earthen plaster construction include reduced impacts upon the extraction site, increased resiliency and social cohesion, and limited requirements for capital investments. This research contributes to the assessment tools available for stakeholders to make more informed decisions when investing in multi-faceted affordable housing projects in hot arid regions throughout the world.</p>

<p> Households in the Bolivian Altiplano construct their livelihood strategies in a system marked by changing climate and volatile social systems. The strategies that they choose must work to decrease the household&lsquo;s vulnerability to shocks, such as drought and frost, and increase its ability to adapt to longer term changes, for instance the affects of globalization. Their strategies may also influence the resilience of their community and environment, either increasing or decreasing the likelihood of catastrophe.</p><p> This research uses canonical correlation analysis to analyze survey data collected from 330 rural households in two regions of the Bolivian Altiplano. It examines the impact that dominant livelihood strategies have on the resilience of the household and its socio-ecological environment. The analysis shows that access to land and lifecycle are two household characteristics most highly associated with resilience; that diversification into labor markets often works towards increasing resilience; and that many households use livestock as an insurance mechanism. The results suggest that policies that work towards increasing crop yields and reducing livestock loss in the face of climate change could effectively target the households that are most vulnerable. Programs that include transfer payments to older households for providing services, such as increasing ecosystem resilience by placing land in fallow, could reduce the negative impact of lifecycle experienced by many across both regions. </p><p>

<p> This thesis will cover how to lessen the negative effects of chemical fertilizer on the environment. By determining if there is a sustainable solution that allows farmers to prolong their soil nutrition and avoid toxic run-off pollution. A comparison between organic and chemical fertilizers is key to evaluating if a sustainable solution lies within a conversion to using organic fertilizers.</p><p> The justification for the following topic begins with the growing demands of food how to sustain the exponential population growth. The agricultural industry has industrialized to become machine and less labor intensive. Farmers need to utilize this revolution to take the industry one step further of switching to organic farming. The trend of organic farming is growing and consumers are increasing demand for such products. The vital industry unconsciously contributes to global warming in several areas by utilizing methods of fertilization, the carbon footprint, and land use. Methods of fertilization can be adapted to more sustainable methods whereas the carbon footprint and land use are inevitable to adhere to the population. Fertilizers have allowed humans to meet the increasing demands of our growing population with the proper nutrition to sustain us all. Sustainable use of fertilizers is key to meeting people&rsquo;s needs and allowing the plant to naturally restore.</p><p> Environmental Wicked Theory will explain the many factors at play and how at sometimes making the switch from organic to chemical fertilizers is not as simple as some think. The many stakeholders at play with differentiating interest oftentimes make a common ground seem far fetched or unattainable. This thesis will attempt to achieve a cohesive solution by managing the wicked problem of the agricultural industry&rsquo;s contributions to climate change. </p><p> The case will analyze the effects of chemical fertilizers on soil nutrition from a pecan farm in Alabama. Given the external surrounding of having access to fresh manure next door the case aims to provide a step by step process. This model will give farmers the tools necessary to make the switch to an organic farm.</p><p>

Locally oriented food has recently gained considerable popularity as an alternative to the industrial food system. Current scholarship on local food has typically focused on direct-to-consumer (DTC) arrangements, such as farmers' markets or CSAs. Yet other players besides producers and consumers engage with locally-oriented food. Food vendors (restaurants, retailers and grocers, and value-added food processors) have recently entered the scene and locally-oriented farm-to-vendor arrangements constitute one of the cutting edges of the development of local food systems. This dissertation studies one such local food system in southern New England. Utilizing a mixed methods approach entailing social network analysis, in-depth interviews, fieldwork observations, and GIS analysis, this study interrogates how direct-to-vendor (DTV) local food systems operate. I show through the literature review that though local food systems hold considerable promise, they are not inherent mechanisms of sustainability. Next I turn to the question of what "counts" as local, examining the range of distances farms and vendors within this region travel to sell or purchase food, and asking what are the forces and conditions that influence this range of travel? The greatest influences are number of ties to other local food entities, what type of farm or food-vendor they are, size, and urban proximity. I then focus on key participants in the area of study. What are the challenges and constraints around developing a vibrant locally-based food system? These participants face continual pressure to expand their size and markets, emulating the dominant food system and thereby undercutting their sustainable potential. However, these participants also find ways to overcome what are sometimes contradictory interests to forge a functional locally-based food system based on reciprocity and trust. Due in part to price premiums on local food many local food participants tend to be white and have high incomes and levels of education. In the final empirical chapter I ask: in what ways do these inequalities manifest systematically? By geospatially mapping the locations of local food outlets against census data on race, income, and education, I show that racial and class advantages are perpetuated in terms of people's proximal access to these local food outlets.

<p> La agricultura en Puerto Rico ha experimentado un renacimiento despu&eacute;s de d&eacute;cadas de ser una de las actividades de menor crecimiento a nivel nacional. A principios del siglo XX, durante las primeras d&eacute;cadas del r&eacute;gimen colonial de los Estados Unidos, la agricultura era la principal actividad econ&oacute;mica dedicada principalmente a la producci&oacute;n de ca&ntilde;a de az&uacute;car para la exportaci&oacute;n. Luego de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, la econom&iacute;a de la isla se industrializ&oacute; r&aacute;pidamente, lo que provoc&oacute; la ca&iacute;da de la producci&oacute;n agr&iacute;cola y la destrucci&oacute;n de la capacidad local para la producci&oacute;n de alimentos. Hoy d&iacute;a, Puerto Rico importa el 85% de los alimentos consumidos a trav&eacute;s de cadenas de suministro muy vulnerables con consecuencias para la econom&iacute;a, como el aumento en el costo de vida para la poblaci&oacute;n. </p><p> Durante los a&ntilde;os ochenta, el movimiento agroecol&oacute;gico surgi&oacute; en defensa de la soberan&iacute;a alimentaria y la sostenibilidad ambiental. La agroecolog&iacute;a se presenta como una pr&aacute;ctica alternativa para la producci&oacute;n de alimentos con alto impacto en las comunidades locales a trav&eacute;s de la sustituci&oacute;n de agroqu&iacute;micos por insumos naturales y el uso de pr&aacute;cticas intensivas en mano de obra. El movimiento ha logrado converger los esfuerzos de producci&oacute;n de un n&uacute;mero creciente de fincas pero, &iquest;es suficiente articular un modelo alternativo de desarrollo local? </p><p> Esta tesis pretende contribuir a la comprensi&oacute;n del movimiento agroecol&oacute;gico puertorrique&ntilde;o, en particular su potencial para actuar como un espacio de concertaci&oacute;n y aglutinaci&oacute;n de las fuerzas productivas para su eventual consolidaci&oacute;n como actor de desarrollo. A trav&eacute;s de una metodolog&iacute;a cuantitativa y cualitativa, en forma de entrevistas, revisi&oacute;n de documentos y an&aacute;lisis de datos estad&iacute;sticos, describimos las capacidades del movimiento agroecol&oacute;gico para la promoci&oacute;n de un modelo alternativo de desarrollo local; y c&oacute;mo la adopci&oacute;n de cadenas productivas cortas, como una estrategia de inserci&oacute;n en el mercado de alimentos, puede promover una mejor distribuci&oacute;n de los beneficios econ&oacute;micos locales. </p><p> Los resultados de nuestra investigaci&oacute;n demuestran que el movimiento agroecol&oacute;gico contiene las capacidades para promover un modelo alternativo de desarrollo local. Estas capacidades dependen de los esfuerzos de organizaci&oacute;n de los agricultores/as agroecol&oacute;gicos que permiten el dise&ntilde;o y la implementaci&oacute;n de estrategias en la forma de cadenas productivas cortas de alimentos. Estas estrategias permitieron una mayor visibilidad de su producci&oacute;n y la amplificaci&oacute;n de su alcance de mercado. Nuestra investigaci&oacute;n encontr&oacute; que un mayor &eacute;xito en las estrategias de inserci&oacute;n en el mercado ha promovido la agroecolog&iacute;a como una pr&aacute;ctica y ha alentado la llegada de nuevos agricultores/as al movimiento. Adem&aacute;s, argumentamos que mediante el fortalecimiento de sus capacidades productivas, aumenta el acceso a los recursos para la organizaci&oacute;n pol&iacute;tica del movimiento y su capacidad para influenciar la agenda de pol&iacute;tica p&uacute;blica a nivel nacional.</p><p>

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T20:00:29Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2474.pdf: 4397371 bytes, checksum: 2de24dd78d3c917c67e2006145da6ce4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-02-27 / Water, which is needed by all living beings, is considered an economic and environmental possession of invaluable value to the life of the planet. It is found in Brazil as a possession of public domain, according to the Federal Constitution of 1988 and Law 11.445, of January 5 of 2007, which establishes the guidelines for the federal policy of sanitation. There is, therefore, the concept of ownership of management relevant to the State, with participation by the society. Wanting to demonstrate that it is possible to attain economic sustainability of a S.A.E, through the appropriate management, the case of the city of São José do Rio Preto will be studied, where the delivery of water supply and sanitation is done by a municipal authority created in August 21 of 2001, called SeMAE (Serviço Municipal Autônomo de Água e Esgoto). In the last decades it was verified, in a national territory level, trends for greater participation of private enterprises in the industry of sanitation, which contradicts the predominance, in most of the world, of public and local management. Referencing certain features of sanitation services, such as the essentiality and natural monopoly, there is a pressing need for social control. But the lacks of resources, ridiculous charges, practices of welfarism, and political interference, combined with poor management, have led to a scenario where the privatization appeared as salvation. With the introduction of National Sanitation Policy in 2007 and increased participation of the Federal Government, through the provision of programs and funding for the sector, an other reality is shown. The State, now defined as owner of sanitation services, walks in a path full of obligations and duties, in search of quality, efficiency and universal provision of the service. During the conception of this work, through the observation of the existing structures, institutional, physical, and operational of the Water and Sewer Service (W.S.S.) analysed, using data collected and carefully selected, were prepared initial diagnosis and procedures which corroborated with the evolution of this system. The comparative data used, coming mostly from the SNIS National Information of Sanitation System. The analysis and developmente of this work is permeated by the economic perspective. It avaliates, in the period from 2001 to 2008, the system of water supply and sewerage of São José do Rio Preto by means of measurable parameters and values, demonstrating its sustainability. / A água, necessidade de todos os seres vivos, é tida como bem econômico e ambiental de valor incalculável para a vida do planeta. Apresenta-se no Brasil como bem de domínio público, segundo a Constituição Federal de 1988 e a Lei n° 11.445, de 5 de janeiro de 2007, que estabelece as diretrizes para a política federal de saneamento básico. Têm se, portanto, a concepção da titularidade da gestão pertinente ao poder público, com participação da sociedade civil. Objetivando demonstrar que é possível atingir a sustentabilidade econômica de um Serviço de Água e Esgoto (S.A.E), por meio de gestão adequada, estudamos o caso da cidade de São José do Rio Preto, cuja prestação dos serviços de abastecimento de água e de esgotamento sanitário é realizada por uma autarquia municipal, criada em 21 de agosto de 2001, denominada Serviço Municipal Autônomo de Água e Esgoto (SeMAE).. Nas últimas décadas verificou-se, em todo território nacional, a tendência por uma maior participação da iniciativa privada na indústria de saneamento, o que contraria a predominância, em boa parte do mundo, da organização por gestão pública e local. Referenciando-se certas características dos serviços de saneamento, como a essencialidade e monopólio natural, constata-se a premente necessidade de controle social. Mas a falta de recursos, tarifas irrisórias, prática de assistencialismo e ingerências políticas, aliados à má gestão, conduziram a um cenário onde a privatização figurava como salvação. Com a instituição da Política Nacional de Saneamento em 2007 e a maior participação do Governo Federal, por meio da disponibilização de programas e financiamentos para o setor, desenha-se outra realidade. O poder público, agora definido como titular dos serviços de saneamento, passa a trilhar um caminho repleto de obrigações e deveres, na busca da qualidade, eficiência e universalização da prestação. Durante a concepção deste trabalho, por meio de observações das estruturas existentes, institucionais, físicas e operacionais do S.A.E. analisado, utilizando dados coletados e selecionados de forma criteriosa, foram elaborados diagnósticos inicial e de procedimentos, que corroboraram com a evolução desse sistema. Os dados comparativos utilizados originaram-se em grande maioria, do Sistema Nacional de Informação de Saneamento (SNIS). A análise e desenvolvimento deste trabalho permearam-se na esfera econômica. Avaliamos, no período de 2001 a 2008, o sistema de abastecimento de água e esgoto do município de São José do Rio Preto, por meio de parâmetros e valores mensuráveis, demonstrando a sua sustentabilidade.